Ephrata’s Downer recognized for excellence

EPHRATA — Hannah Downer, an 18-year-old senior at Ephrata High School, has been selected as one of the Students of the Month for March in recognition of her academic performance, leadership roles in extracurricular activities and positive influence on her peers. “I like being nominated for stuff and being recognized,” Downer said.

Incident in Moses Lake leaves one dead, two arrested

MOSES LAKE – One man died following a high-speed pursuit, while two women have been taken into custody on charges of robbery and unlawful imprisonment following an incident early Wednesday morning in Moses Lake, according to Grant County Sheriff’s Office.

BASIN SOFTBALL ROUNDUP: April 24, 2025

COLUMBIA BASIN — Basin softball has wrapped up another week of competition, the Knights continue to maintain a strong record as the competition continues to unfold.

GALLERY: Lions Club’s annual Easter Egg Hunt 2025

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Lions Club held their annual Easter egg hunt Saturday at noon. There were four sections with the first being for children who need assistance, zero to three-year-olds with no assistance, three to seven-year-olds, and seven to 12-year-olds.

Mavs softball falls to Mount Si

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Mavericks softball team fell to Mount Si 0-11 Tuesday afternoon.

Mavs start new faces in Tuesday’s victory

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Mavericks earned a 13-3 victory at home against Davis Tuesday afternoon. “We made some changes in our lineup just to see some other people,” said Mavs head coach Donnie Lindgren.

LETTER: Moses Lake School District vs. courts

It is easier to prove in the court system that harassment, intimidation and bullying are taking place than it is to the school district. In the court system you need to provide proof. That proof could be in the form of sheriff’s department/police reports, school reports, witness statements, copies of emails, phone recordings and maybe video recordings (provided by the school district). The school district does not care if the victim is a person with disabilities or not.

LETTER: Thankful

We need to remember to be thankful for those who have supported us. The U.S. didn’t fight in Korea, Vietnam or Afghanistan alone. NATO members as well as non-NATO member countries supported us and/or had boots on the ground. Soldiers from those countries gave their lives as well as were wounded and many continue to live with the results. My father, who was career military, began his service during World War II and was in service through Korea and Vietnam. He often talked about how isolation put us in a perilous position prior to World War II. There are several books regarding this issue as well. Eighteen nations fought under the U.N. in Korea, 37 countries fought alongside us in Iraq from 2003 through 2009, and from 2009 through 2021 36 countries supported the U.S. in Afghanistan under a NATO alliance.

BASIN SPORTS SCHEDULE: April 24-30

COLUMBIA BASIN – Basin sports is on to another week of competition as teams in their respective sports look to build more success.

Legals for April, 24 2025

Ephrata schools, partners to host gang town hall

EPHRATA — The Ephrata School District, in collaboration with the North Central Educational Service District, the Ephrata Police Department and the Grant County Sheriff's Office, is set to host a town hall meeting titled "Understanding Youth Gangs" on Thursday, May 8.

Eagles women's tennis finishes season with dominant win

MISSOULA, Mont. — Eastern Washington University women’s tennis (5-13) closed its season with a 6-1 victory over the University of Montana with five singles and one doubles victory to solidify it, according to a statement by Eastern Washington Athletics.

Raymond "Ray" Baratcart

1949 – 2025

Raymond “Ray” P. Baratcart, 76, a longtime resident of Moses Lake, Washington passed away April 17, 2025, in Wenatchee, Washington. He was born on January 7, 1949, in Ontario, Oregon.

Forrest Hardt

1939 — 2025

Forrest Hardt passed away on April 18, 2025, at the age of 85, at his daughter’s home in Keizer, Oregon. Forrest was born on May 22, 1939, in Ritzville, Washington.

Mavs best Wenatchee in doubleheader

Mavericks continue to ‘cowboy up’ and persevere in strong competition

MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Mavericks baseball team took two wins in their doubleheader against Wenatchee Friday evening. “It was very eventful, very action-packed, probably the best we’ve done hitting all season so far and we hope to keep it going,” said Maverick Wyatt Cole.

Renew director brings back ideas from prestigious fellowship

MOSES LAKE — Behavioral health care in Grant County may see some improvements. Dell Anderson, director of Renew, formerly Grant Mental Health, recently completed a Baldridge Fellowship and came back with some ideas, he said Thursday.

Mattawa Public Library to expand hours, add services

MATTAWA — North Central Washington Libraries officials will be expanding the hours at the Mattawa Public Library. The library is open from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. four days a week, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It's open Wednesday morning from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 2 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Yakima man arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking

GRANT COUNTY — A Yakima man was arrested on possession of fentanyl and methamphetamines with intent to deliver during a traffic stop April 18.

BBCC to present Drum Fest on Saturday

MOSES LAKE — Big Bend Community College will get rhythm this Saturday when the Drum Fest takes over the Wallenstien theater. “It will be a workshop-slash-mega drum line,” said John Owen, associate professor of music at BBCC.

WIAA votes against trans athlete policy changes

RENTON – The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association completed a vote on several different amendments, including two regarding transgender athletes. Both proposed amendments for trans athletes failed during the vote.